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San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus, of Nicaraguan and Mexican descent, officially inaugurated the building where the department's offices are centralized on Monday, September 9.
Located at 330 Bradford St. in Redwood City, the new sheriff's headquarters includes the Corpus dispatch as well as a dozen bureaus previously located in different locations around the county.
The modern building is integrated into the Maguire Correctional Facility (the county jail) and was built on the site of the old prison, opposite the Hall of Justice, which until June housed the sheriff's offices.
The ceremony began at 10 a.m. with the raising of the American flag by Sheriff Christina Corpus' Honor Guard, who welcomed those present, after which Chaplain Delores Quigg blessed the facilities.
The sheriff, flanked by members of her staff, used a large pair of golden scissors to cut the ribbon in front of the main entrance to the new five-story building, which is named for John Arrillaga Senior, the Silicon Valley real estate professional and philanthropist who died in 2022 and whose foundation provided support and funding to help it be built.
Corpus is the first female sheriff since San Mateo County and its police force were created in 1856.
In her speech, the sheriff recalled that her career began precisely there in 2002, when she joined the sheriff's office as a correctional officer at the county jail.
She also mentioned that “it took 167 years for a woman to be elected sheriff, and the same amount of time for most of the divisions with direct contact with the community to be centralized under one roof.”
He said the new facilities would serve both to accommodate county citizens who need to complete paperwork in an appropriate environment, and to provide his office employees with a more modern and spacious workplace, which would result, he said, in well-being and better opportunities for career advancement.
According to the sheriff's office, the agency currently employs 800 law enforcement officers and civilian personnel whose mission is to provide police services to all cities in the county, Caltrain, SamTrans, the city of San Carlos and the towns of Woodside and Portola Valley, as well as investigative support to San Francisco International Airport.
The duties of the Sheriff's Office include protecting life and property, preserving the peace among citizens, enforcing the laws of the State of California and county ordinances, preventing crime, supporting positive youth development, apprehending criminals, supervising and caring for prisoners, coordinating emergency services, and providing security at courthouses, hospitals, and other county offices.
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